1. Field of Invention
The present invention relates generally to a printer and more particularly to a method of setting paper in a printer that executes a paper identification operation after the paper (recording paper) is replaced to determine if the paper that is loaded matches the paper information (including type and size) set in the printer.
2. Description of Related Art
Printers that convey and print to roll paper, which is composed of a continuous web of plain paper, label paper, paper with index markings, or other type of medium wound into a roll, and can print to paper that differs in the type or size of paper or label, for example, are known from the literature. Paper information such as the paper type and size is set in the printer, and the printer prints based on this paper information.
When the roll paper is replaced, the printer advances (indexes) the paper so that the start printing position at the leading end part of the paper is desirably positioned to the printing position of the print head, and executes a paper identification process while the paper is conveyed to determine, for example, the type and size of the paper. If the paper loaded in the printer does not match the paper information set in the printer, the operating mode of the printer is changed to the error mode and print commands, for example, from the upstream host computer (external device) are not accepted so that the printer does not operate inappropriately. It is therefore necessary to reset the paper information set in the printer whenever a different type of paper is loaded. The paper information is typically changed by using the operating panel of the printer to switch the operating mode of the printer to the update mode and then enter the correct information.
Japanese Unexamined Patent Appl. Pub. JP-A-2005-7761 teaches a printing device (printer) that simplifies changing the paper information when the paper is changed to a different type of paper. This printer switches to an error mode when the paper that is loaded does not match the stored paper information, but if the user opens and closes the access cover for opening and closing the opening to the roll paper compartment after this error state is entered, the printer switches to an operating mode for automatically detecting the type or size, for example, of the paper that was loaded and updating the paper information accordingly.
However, with such a known printer executes a paper identification process to determine if the paper that was loaded matches the paper information that is stored, the paper information cannot be updated (or set) by sending commands from the host computer to which the printer is connected.
More specifically, if the paper information in the printer is updated by sending a command from the host computer, the paper that is loaded in the printer may not match the paper information after being updated by the command, and the printer may therefore not operate correctly. As a result, when the paper information is updated, the printer runs the paper identification process to determine if the paper and the paper information match.
Another error occurs when paper information is updated by sending a command from the host computer before the paper is replaced. In such a case, the updated paper information will not match the paper that is currently loaded in the printer, and a printer error occurs.
If the paper information is updated from the host computer after the paper is replaced but the paper is actually replaced before the information is updated, opening and closing the access cover causes the printer to automatically execute the paper identification process based on the currently set paper information, a printer error occurs, and the paper information cannot later be updated from the host.
It is conceivable to update the paper information from the host side before the roll paper is loaded when replacing the paper (that is, at the point the access cover is opened and the roll paper is removed from the roll paper compartment). However, because there is no paper in the printer before the roll paper is loaded in the known printer, the printer returns a no-paper error or goes off-line because there is no paper and refuses commands sent from the host side, and the paper information therefore cannot be updated.
It is therefore necessary to update the paper information by using the operating panel on the printer, or by providing exceptional functionality such as the ability to switch the printer to an automatic paper information updating mode when a paper mismatch error occurs and the access cover is opened and closed as described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Appl. Pub. JP-A-2005-7761.